Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The Changebringer

Well, It's time to take up some resolutions as the year approaches its finale. As everyone else, I too had a bunch of resolutions and aspirations and things to do and look forward to in the forthcoming year. All lasted till I saw the video of a guy Dr. Randy Pausch who gave the last lecture that he would ever give, titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" . Now, if you are curious, you can find a lot more about him in Wikepedia.





I'd say Randy Pausch was one of the inspirations for my project that came out as the best in college solely because of his creativity in doing things, in bringing about interaction between a machine and man that could just blow you off. Randy Pausch moved the world with his series of Last Lectures which were not about Computers but about Life. After watching his last lecture video, I thought, what is the point of aiming high when the very base on which humanity should stand is entirely absent? A lot of things to learn. A lot of things to change. The video left me with a heavy heart and a bare truth that the world misses a Hero today.

Dr. Randy Pausch died on July 25, 2008 at the age of 47 after a prolonged illness due to Pancreatic Cancer. The Pittsburgh City Council declared November 19, 2007 to be "Dr. Randy Pausch Day."

I'm sure the video would affect anyone that watches it almost instantaneously and about the new year resolutions, well, I just had them changed and I know that now I have the Best look forward to.

Happy New Year!




*Video from YouTube
*Photo from Wikipedia

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Apple Polymorphism

There were times when I thought apple was more than just a juicy fruit that satisfied our taste buds. Apple being a very common fruit is quite common in everyday philosophy too, I guess. Like the saying “an apple a day keeps a doctor away”, describing beauty as the “Apple of one’s eye”, Steve Jobs, New York City, Newton’s Theory of Gravitational pull, the original sin etc. A lot of things, basically. All these were anything but literal, except for a few, I thought, till a brief visit to the super market near my place.

It was a Saturday evening. Just a few days earlier I had studied the concept of polymorphism in my programming language which is about how an object can behave in different ways. Just like how the one supreme entity is said to have taken up 10 different avatars (9 till now...). I studied various examples that could illustrate the property of polymorphism. But, after my visit to the supermarket, none of the examples stood a chance. The grocery section perfectly illustrated the concept.

"Green" Apples in Red. Probably Santa paid them a visit

I didn't know Sweet Lime was a kind of an apple

Sheer Brilliance in the naming. Its Pome-granate!
About the Grapes, I don't know, i guess they are kind of apples too



I'd say Kamal Haasan has got a lot to learn from apples…

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

The Case of the "Extra" Ingredient

Well, the other day, I was on my way home from office when I had the sudden craving for macaroons. I really can’t say why. It was that gut feeling, either way. So, I went and bought the first packet that I stumbled upon. Speaking of greed, I’m a Gemini. So I consider myself to have twice the quantity of whatever quality I have. So, twice the craving, twice the greed. Anyway, after rushing through the counter and surviving the drive home, while every second double proved Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, I finally reached. I couldn’t wait to remove my shoes. I didn’t.

Having barged in and scared the inhabitants of the house who are my family, I slowly opened my bag and took out the pack. I looked at it with the innate love in my eye. My precioussssss. My macaroonssssss.

Holding a macaroon in my hand, slowly putting it in my mouth and transcending into heaven- atleast, that was what I expected, after my insatiable hunger and the sudden macaroon craving. I stuffed one in and felt my mouth stick together like I had swallowed a whole batch of super glue bottles just produced. I thought I had taken too much for one bite and the next time, I took a small bite of an even smaller macaroon. The size of the bite was pint sized. I felt the macaroon turning into a strand of hard material that still begs for a name. I felt like a cow cud-chewing. Now you can calculate the amount of disappointment proportional to my hunger (always double the answer). Curious, I saw which reputed company had made the gooey-macaroon disaster. The label read, “Holiday Macaroons” and on top of that it “Hygienic Foods” (technically it’s at the
bottom) which cracked me up. But the best part was the ingredients listing.

The "Extra" Ingredient


The Holiday Package with the special surprise of the unknown ingredient

Well, I don’t know what to say, rather, I can’t… Probably because I’m still chewing cud.


Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Merci Beaucoup!

shoo.. shoo.. shoo.. I said, when I saw a butterfly sitting on my pretty laptop's monitor. Then I looked closely to see that my degree that I had earned from college had evolved to becoming an e-degree. Again shoo...shoo...shoo... to the butterfly happily scooched on my degree. It wouldn't budge. I then noticed something scribbled in french and I honestly didn't understand what it meant. I thought I had got a degree from the wrong college or for the wrong course. Finally, having traced from where I had got this, I found that it was from Vivek and immediately conformed the worth of the gift. It was a french award! eh.. an award!! for proximity! (I can do some basic translations based on French-English relations) I love the connection between french and proximity. They just go together. And to be awarded the proximity award in french is just...!
Je suis sans voix! That means I'm speechless in french, in anyway you want to understand it. Thanks Vivek!




Saturday, December 20, 2008

Kreativ (like / and) Krazy

I got to say this is a truly wonderful award coming from a truly wonderful friend and an awesome blogger. Vivek has awarded me with the "Kreativ Blogger" title. Well, to say, i'm truly honored with the award. At first I saw that it looked like a pretty little piece of embroidery and if it hadn't been mentioned explicitly as "(Award)" in the brackets below the title, I would have thought it was a proposed design for a coaster. Just kidding. If I go any further, I have every possibility of losing the award which i'd hate to be a victim of. So, to conclude, i'd just say that i'm really happy to have got this award for my so called "kreativ-ty" and i'm honored to have got it from Vivek. Thanks!



Sunday, December 14, 2008

Tagged- A Blessing in Disguise

Well, this month, my blog count has been quite low compared to the previous couple of months. Now, I don't want to ramble about calling myself busy because I have started working. Its just that my laziness has crept into my blog-o-ramic view as a perspective of procrastination. I'm fighting it though. Hence the blog saver. Getting tagged.

I got tagged by A Wo(a)ndering Mind as to write 5 Random things about me. Now that puts my silhouette into looking into my profound, innate thoughts(after a real long time). Here goes.

1. Well, to start with, my thoughts in itself are quite Random. I'd have to say that my thoughts are never prioritized (If you say I should have prefixed " be ashamed" to the "say" in the sentence, I completely understand). Its never sequential. I just do things when I want to do them. Some compulsion from my dad might propel certain things but not otherwise.

2. I dream of owning a Gibson someday and start a band of my own with me playing the part of the lead and Rhythm guitarist and if other people can handle it, sing too.

3. Some of the things that I hate in people are being posers or pseudos, when they don't have a leg to stand on and poor appreciation of sarcasm or wit. I hate it when people don't stick to their side of an argument just because their close friend supports the other side of the argument and when people instead of listening give a false look and then just wait for their turn to speak.

4. I sometimes like weird happenings and they stay in my mind for a longer time than anything else. A song called reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg by Iron Maiden was quite enough. Breeg (Quite a mystery even today) was believed to have disappeared right on the day I was born. Also, when i was talking about him while transferring a picture of his drawing to another friend via bluetooth, the size of the file came exactly to 666 KBs.

5. I am quite astonished and often wonder about what the human brain is capable when it comes to mindless ramblings and randomness.

I guess, its now time to continue the chain and extend it by tagging

Rakesh Vanamali - Redefining Oblivion
Jayaprasad - A train of Thought
Raghul - E-Wrangle
Rathish - Rathish's Corner
Janani- Magnolia Crescent

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Seed of Evil

Running with scissors and playing with fire
It’s been from his childhood, a raving desire.
Born out of greed and insatiable lust
Bred in the darkness and biting his dust.

An object of shame to the icon of fame
There’s none on the street that does not know his name.
Out from the night he’ll march into light
Crawl from down under to reach for the skies.

Conquer the oblivion, enter new life.
Into this brave new world, die to survive.
By failing to follow the old and the wise
And selling your soul to the merchant of lies.

Worshipped like heroes, he waits for his turn,
Take on the world while he’s watching it burn.
Wasting his life all in search of his birth,
For waging vendettas, escaping his fate.

Out in this wilderness raking his game
Deliver insanity, spreading the plague.
Branding them lepers that's cursing his fate
And then cast them out, damn them and live through their hate.

He lives on and on till the end of our time
Breeding with him all his hate and his crime.
Laughing and mocking at bishops their faith
The ruler, his mantle, a hero today.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Silverware for the Gemini

Well well, what do I say?? I'm totally delighted and proud to have got awarded. My good friend and the great Blogger Rakesh Vanamali has awarded me with an e-trophy (if thats what you call it to be). As of now, i have nothing much to write but ramble about the trophy. Instead, i just find that it'd be better if I just post the award here.


The "Silverware"
Thanks Rakesh, for the recognition and all the encouragement that you have provided.